NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Imprint Blu-ray (July 2026): Imprint have transferred two entries to Blu-ray; 1984's An Amorous Woman of Tang Dynasty and from 1989, The Reincarnation Of Golden Lotus. These are on their own separate dual-layered discs. We reviewed the 88 Films Blu-ray of An Amorous Woman of Tang Dynasty last year, HERE. I can ascertain no difference between the image quality - cited as being from a "HD Transfer From the Original Negative". The film showcases a meticulous recreation of Tang Dynasty aesthetics through lush cinematography, opulent production design, and a deliberate use of light and shadow. The 1080P supports the film's exquisite production value eye-candy. There is a crispness producing depth, not much texture, but true and consistent colors. The film employs soft, diffused lighting for interior scenes, often using natural sources like lanterns or candles to cast warm, golden glows across the actors’ faces and surroundings. Close-ups dominate, emphasizing Ha’s expressive eyes and subtle shifts in emotion, a technique that draws viewers into Yu’s inner world. The Blu-ray transfer is housed on a dual-layered disc with a max'ed out bitrate, clean and freshly recreates a Tang Dynasty world. All good. The Reincarnation of Golden Lotus looks equally impressive, with solid contrast in the colder, muted Cultural Revolution scenes and sharper, more vibrant Hong Kong segments; the dreamlike flashbacks maintain their ethereal quality without excessive noise or artifacts. It is a film-like presentation highlight the strong cinematography of Jingle Ma (Comrades: Almost a Love Story, Rumble in the Bronx.)

NOTE: We have added 156 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE.

On their Blu-ray, Imprint use linear PCM dual-mono tracks (24-bit) in the Cantonese language with an optional Mandarin track for The Reincarnation Of Golden Lotus. An Amorous Woman of Tang Dynasty has a carefully crafted soundscape that enhances the film’s Tang Dynasty setting, emotional depth, and thematic resonance. Comprising an evocative musical score by Jim Shum (Farewell China) - a fusion of traditional Chinese music and modern cinematic orchestration - ambient sound effects, and minimal but impactful dialogue - Patricia Ha’s voice is a standout, shifting from cool authority in scholarly scenes to raw passion in romantic ones. The audio serves as both a historical anchor and a poetic undercurrent to the narrative’s blend of eroticism, rebellion, and tragedy. The Reincarnation of Golden Lotus similarly benefits from a serviceable track that supports its haunting, merging-timeline effects and emotional swells without modern surround gimmickry. While not reference-level dynamic range by today’s standards, the lossless presentation ensures fidelity to the source, making the films’ moody soundscapes and music feel authentic and immersive. Music is credited to Teddy Robin Kwan (Black Mask, The Adventurers, As Tears Go By,) and Richard Lo (Green Hat.) Music tends to be understated and evocative rather than bombastic, using swelling strings or haunting motifs during reincarnation visions and moments of possession to blur the lines between Shan and Pan Jinlian. Diegetic sounds - ballet rehearsals, rural ambiance, urban bustle - ground the different time periods effectively. Imprint offer optional English subtitles on their Region FREE Blu-ray.

The Imprint Blu-ray extras package is generously loaded with new, high-quality supplemental features that add significant value. An Amorous Woman of Tang Dynasty includes a thoughtful audio commentary by Samm Deighan (The Legacy of World War II in European Arthouse Cinema.) There is also a fascinating 27-minute interview with Eddie Fong conducted and director Clara Law, a 1/4 hour “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” interview with Artistic Director Raymond Lee, and the theatrical trailer. The Reincarnation of Golden Lotus Blu-ray features its own dedicated commentary by critic Erica Shultz (Unsung Heroes Podcast) and a substantial 1/2 hour interview with director Clara Law interviewed by Eddie Fong (writer of Law's Temptation of a Monk and director of An Amorous Woman of Tang Dynasty.) These cross-director conversations provide rare insight into their creative processes, the cultural contexts of the films, and their personal and professional partnership, making the extras both informative and thematically cohesive.

Both An Amorous Woman of Tang Dynasty (1984) and The Reincarnation Of Golden Lotus (1989) are bold, sensual, and thematically rich 1980s Hong Kong dramas. Eddie Ling-Ching Fong's An Amorous Woman of Tang Dynasty was his feature debut. The film blends eroticism, feminist themes, and historical drama, set against the culturally rich backdrop of the Tang Dynasty (618–907 CE,) often considered China’s most progressive era. It explores themes of independence, desire, and societal constraint through a visually striking yet narratively uneven lens. An Amorous Woman of Tang Dynasty is a flawed yet fascinating experiment - an erotic period drama (frequent female-on-female) that aspires to poetry and feminist commentary. Its strengths lie in Patricia Ha’s (Nomad, My Name Ain’t Suzie) commanding presence, its stunning visuals, and its bold exploration of a woman’s autonomy in a repressive society. For fans of Hong Kong cinema - Category III, Tang history, or unconventional heroines, it’s a compelling artifact of 1980s New Wave ambition, best appreciated for its aesthetic daring and thematic provocation over its storytelling coherence. The Reincarnation of Golden Lotus is a sly meditation on fate, female agency, and cyclical suffering. The film opens in the Song Dynasty with the execution of the infamous Pan Jinlian (Golden Lotus), the seductive anti-heroine from the classic Chinese novel The Plum in the Golden Vase. Refusing the Meng Po soup of forgetfulness at the gates of reincarnation, Pan seeks revenge and is reborn as Shan Yulian (Joey Wang - Picture of a Nymph, City Hunter, Green Snake, A Chinese Ghost Story,) in post-revolutionary Shanghai. Orphaned young, Shan trains as a ballet dancer but faces brutal persecution during the Cultural Revolution. At its core, the film explores inescapable fate and reincarnation as both cultural belief and psychological metaphor. A sharp political dimension runs through the film, particularly in its unflinching portrayal of the Cultural Revolution’s hypocrisy: officials spout revolutionary ideals while committing personal abuses. This led to the film being banned in mainland China. Clara Law delivers assured, visually striking direction. The film balances sensual erotic sequences with moments of quiet despair and hallucinatory intensity. The Reincarnation of Golden Lotus is a haunting, flawed but fascinating work that uses genre elements to probe deep questions about destiny, trauma, and whether one can ever truly escape the past. It rewards viewers interested in Hong Kong auteur cinema, feminist reinterpretations of classical literature, or films that blend the supernatural with sharp historical critique. This limited edition 2-Blu-ray hardbox from Imprint is a welcome addition for collectors of 80's Asian cinema, erotic period pieces, or auteur-driven genre films. The thoughtful curation - pairing the films with cross-interviews - elevates the set beyond a simple double-feature into a celebration of these works’ artistic and cultural significance, making it a highly recommended purchase for enthusiasts seeking premium presentations of underseen classics. There is value here.

Gary Tooze